Spiral of Causality
by kipper898
Summary: Griffith has seemingly attained his dream, but is it over? Elswhere Guts the struggler fights to cure his beloved Casca, will the prophetic words of the God hand be true? Rated M for language, violence and possible lemon betwen Guts/Casca
1. Chapter 1

The Spiral of Causality

Rating: M for language, strong violence, sexual themes and lemon scenes, etc.

**A/N: **This is my fic continue where the current manga has left off. I am a die-hard fanatical fan of Berserk, can almost say I know it all by heart (don't care if called a nerd) and this wait for the continuation has got me so worked up I wanna write out this fic I been thinking about for a while, I am warning now I will keep as close as I can to the themes presented in the manga, meaning tragic and dark moments, but I believe in lights at the end of the tunnel and things like that, I hope you all enjoy and forgive my shakiness when it comes to slow updates.

Chapter 1: Ill winds

* * *

_In this world, is the destiny of mankind controlled by some transcendental entity or law? It is like the hand of God hovering above? At least it is true, that mankind has no control…even over his own will._

Summary: The prophetic words of the horrid God hand, agents of the idea of Evil who resides in the abyss. The world has taken a new turn, Griffith defeats Emperor Ganishka and has re shaped the world weakening the ties that sever the astral, sprit world and the physical world. His kingdom, the mythical city of Falconia is now his. The supposed Hawk of Light has won…?

Elsewhere the Struggler, called Guts fights against his fate to reach Elfhelm, to find the cure for his beloved Casca. These two meant to be sacrificed now pose a threat to the web of causality, will they succeed or perish.

The current battle is Guts facing the so called sea god, he with his newest companion Schierke prepare, while back aboard the sea horse something ominous approaches the others.

* * *

The waves crashed against the rocks on the cliff face, dark and high before falling back down, thankfully due to the shape of the cave entrance they could not reach the long figure standing at its entrance.

Guts stood staring into the shadow of the open maw of the cave of the sea god, possibly going in his mind what any warrior thinks of before a fight, and in his case it was serious. He could feel the spray of the sea, the salt air, but only partially, thanks to be only semi possessed by the berserker armour.

He looked very intimidating in this state; the armour seemed to almost be alive when it altered in shape. The canine like helm, gauntlets formed along both his hands that appeared when the armour's power was called and vanished when he returned to normal, even allowing him use of his metal left hand, without even thinking he flexed his fingers as if he had never lost all below the elbow, he wasn't fooled though, it wasn't reality, just a tool he could make use of in this state. His right eye, his left forearm and hand, they were both gone. He hefted his monstrous sword, called the dragonslayer and rested it on his right shoulder as was his custom, a trait inherited by Gambino long ago.

"Guts, do you sense that" A quite, intellectual, feminine sounding voice asked over his shoulder.

It was the voice of Schierke his most recent companion to join his group. She was a witch who had studied under Flora, who had been like a surrogate mother to her, and joined Gut's and his group shortly after her death. Even though she had told Guts she thought of it more as her mistress moving to a different plane of existence she was still a young girl at heart on these matters.

However she had proven essential to the group, being well versed on beings of the astral realm, as well as teaching Farnese in magic which allowed her to accompany Guts in her ethereal body and keep his berserker armour in check.

Gut's looked over his shoulder. Schierke was not really there, her physical body was back on the Sea Horse, the boat they were travelling on, but her ethereal body was clinging to his back, she looked like some kind of a spirit, but not one of the ones that had plagued his nights these last few years.

Just thinking about those nights reminded him of the twinge pain he felt at his brand, he was certain of it.

The Sea God was in fact an apostle.

The only thing Guts felt was different was the pain was different, also this feeling of dread coming from the dark cave entrance, it was an overwhelming sensation, he felt the same feeling from many of the apostles he had encountered, but only with certain ones was this feeling more intense, apostles like Zodd he sensed that from, maybe because Zodd was a lot older than some of the past demons he had fought or killed.

"It's older" Guts said in his deep voice, his manner of speaking was often blunt and quick to the point.

"Your right, the OD I sense from this one, It's more sinister, and older. It must be older then that one you talked to back in Vritannis, Zodd" Schierke replied making a shrewd insight to the flow of OD she sensed.

"Good thing I got you hear to keep me from going to crazy, I'm gonna need my wits for this fight" he said.

The berserker armour was something he had acquired as a gift from Flora when her home was attacked by the new band of the hawk. It was a cursed suit of full plate armour that was created by the ancient Dwarves, a race that is seldom seen.

Guts recalled the first time he had put on the armour thinking how much it reminded him of his ally known at the Skull Knight, for lack of an actual name. There was in fact more truth to that thought as he later learned the armour had in fact once been worn by the knight before Flora took it into her keeping. Shortly after his battle with the Apostle Grunbeld he had learned a lot about the Armour and it's power, primarily it gave the wearer enhanced strength and endurance in battle by lifting what Schierke called the subconscious limits out minds sets on feeling pain, temporarily bonded wounds, fixed dislocated joints or broken bones by piercing the body with metal spikes and had an effect known as the "berserker rage". There were however some recent harmful effects, if Guts fought for too long as the berserker he risked death by blood loss and in his state of temporary insanity he could hurt his friends by accident, that aside is had a few physical deteriorating side effects after his first time using it.

Guts had asked Schierke to explain all she knew about the armour and as subtly as he could got the information he wanted about his other concern

_This armour has come in handy plenty of times…but, that thing has gotten out and now has a new home, and he's getting stronger _Guts thought as he glanced at his fake arm now usable when in his semi possessed state. It was that inner black flame he was thinking of the one whispering into his ear of bloodshed and revenge, the thing that nearly hurt Casca. His inner beast, the hellhound as he dubbed it due to the shape it took, had entered his armour through an ethereal wound he had gotten from one of the members of the God Hand called Slan, since he came to the realization that being partially in the astral realm due to his brand that was how it had been able to move into the armour possessing him turning him into the Berserker.

It was something that had troubled Gut's mind for sometimes despite his measures of control, the main one being the little witch clinging to his back to hold back the insanity but still giving him nearly all the strength of the armour at the same time, he had a growing fear the he might hurt one of his new companions, or worse, Casca.

"Guts" Schierke called to him bringing him out of his train of thought.

"Ya, I know, this is the thing that likely changed those weird pirates" He said surmising all those details with a more blunt form of insight

Schierke's astral form smiled at her friend, she had grown to like Guts, whether or not she admitted or realized it she had developed a somewhat childlike infatuation for him, maybe due to the lack of a father or big brother or any male role model in her life, she did recall when she and Farnese caught that conversation of Roderick asked Guts what Casca was to him she had really wanted to hear him confirm it.

_Quite acting this way you fool, this is hardly the time or place, I must concentrate on keeping the negative OD in check to preserve Gut's Ego for this battle _She scolded herself before get back to the task at hand.

"I can feel that this thing is not alert to our presence yet, we might be able to surprise it, but I'm a little worried about what does have its attention" She said in a grim tone.

Guts nodded slowly, he knew it was pointless to overthink his plans before even seeing what this unnatural enemy would be like. He would just let his instincts do the work like he usually did.

With a casual movement he drew forth his monstrous blade known as the dragonslayer. The awesome blade was nearly equal to him in height from the tip of the blade to the end of the long handle, it was starting to show more signs of use since the last time he'd had it repaired at Godo's but he would deal with that later. Holding the seemingly un-wieldable blade in his right hand he advanced into the cave. Schierke too also glance at the sword, she had still not gotten used to it, and the way Puck had described it to her after her first glimpse of it

_It was too much to be called a sword. Massive, thick, too rough, it was more like a slab or iron._

Still she had seen Guts wield it with speed and strength that she had never seen before, the fact that his brand gave him an unintended addition to his strength, Guts truly was a grandmaster with his sword.

Back on the warship the Sea Horse, the crew and passengers were still marvelling at the work their protector Witch, Farnese, had made. It was a shield light known as the Formation of the Four Cardinals, a protective spell by calling up the elemental lords of Earth, Air, Fire and Water to protect any inside from beings of the astral plane, that was how the only daughter of the famous Vandimion family explained it but to the sailor's it was like the lights of the northern night skies.

In truth even Farness could not believe she had constructed this wondrous shield, a member of a notoriously religious family learned to become a witch, and feeling like she was doing more then she had ever done in her entire life.

She was a young woman, nearly 20 years old, of medium height with a slender, ladylike build however that had recently acquired some toning due to the rigors of daily travel. She had dark eyes and sunny coloured blond hair that framed a lovely but delicate looking face, her hair used to be about shoulder length but now only reached the bottom of her, jaw a common style among villagers. She wore a collection of both men and woman's clothing and wore a small but well-crafted silver dagger on her belt given to her by her mentor Schierke. At first glance she seemed the common aristocratic woman, delicate, fragile, ready to dance and exchange pleasant gossip with other ladies of a court. None would suspect she was in fact the former leader of the knight of the holy iron chain, or a witch in training.

Over the recent weeks she had gone far in her teaching, she had a much cleverer mind then she realizes and now that it had come a long way in see that there was more to the world then religious duty, or her cold suffocating life in a mansion with servants she was excelling at her study.

Turning her gaze from the glowing walls of her shield she hear the sound of a female voice making cooing sounds of amusement and happiness while sailors cheers and chuckled. Her eyes found the other reason why she was so vital to her companions; in particular to the man she admired the most, Guts.

Casca stood by the railing near one of the rope ladders leading up to the upper parts of the mast helping the little black haired child climb up the ropes while supporting him with her hands on his back in case his grip slipped, the sailors cheered nearby, at a respectful distance as the boy made it to a higher level than before. Farnese took a moment to look at her ward, the woman she cared for whose mind was lost.

Casca was only slightly taller than her, maybe a few inches. She was also a gorgeous woman, dark chocolate coloured skin, black eyes they sparkled with pride and amusement at the moment, a lovely face that had a strong look to it full lips pulled back as she cooed at the boy who was impressing all with his skill at climbing, her black hair tied back into a loose ponytail at the moment now was going past her shoulder was full and lovely. Over time Farnese had noticed that her hands were somewhat rough, and calloused, the signs of one who wielded a sword, and her body while it looked to be a shadow of a former physique she was well toned and in excellent shape, _she must have been a warrior at some point, is that how she and Guts met as soldiers fighting together, _Farnese had guessed at one point. This all clearly said for why Guts looked at her with clear admiration, she was not only beautiful but must have been a skilled warrior. There was however a big mystery to her.

Casca's mind appeared to be like that of the child she supported. That was something that she and the rest of their little group had been asking each other occasionally at night after Guts had fallen asleep, _how did she get like that? What happened to her and Guts, and why is Guts trying so hard for her when she is so afraid of him?_ These were some of the major questions presented, they tried to find answers. Even Schierke could offer no guesses, even when they knew it had to involve those brands they each had, however her knowledge of the Brand of Sacrifice was limited, and there was not enough information to make a more educated guess.

Some nights they had dark thoughts that maybe Guts was the reason Casca was like she was, it was an ugly thought but it had to be said, they had all seen Guts' more dark side, the one in battle, the one brought to light from the possession of his amour, and that only added to the mystery, however they saw his goodness, the fact that despite any dark thought non could think long enough on it to doubt the one simple fact they all knew.

Guts loved Casca more than anything in this world.

Farnese smiled at seeing the boy finally slip but his foot got caught and he hung upside down while the sailors chuckled good naturedly while Casca let out a slight gasp then helped free the boy's foot. Unaware that her mentor had been thinking the same thing she also thought about her first experience with astral projection when she overheard the conversation between Roderick and Guts, _Casca…what are you to Guts and what is he to you, who did you used to be, and what happened to you…Master told me of that smile on his face when he was told how to cure you, it's true I do feel a little jealous but I want to meet the real you.._ She thought to herself. Her thought were then interrupted by a calm and soft voice over her shoulder.

"It would seem the child is enjoying his time on the ship" Serpico commented following his mistress's line of sight.

Farnese smiled "Yes and Casca appears to be enjoying her time as the caretaker again, still I really wish I knew how that boy got to the island, or how he found us back on that beach, only to disappear" she said speaking her mind and turning to look at her most trusted servant, now friend.

Serpico was a taller than here by a few inches, he was lean and fit, his shared the same hair color as Farnese but his face had a more sharp and pointed look, like that of fox as some had joked once or twice, he was a quiet but shrewd man, highly intelligent, quick witted, and skilled with a rapier. What some considered to be the epitome of a valet, herald at arms, and escort for a noble lady. In truth he was in fact the illegitimate half-brother of Farnese. They shared the same father and when he learned he made a secret deal with Farnese to stand by her always and he would be lifted to a noble status. Farnese was not aware of the connection between her and Serpico, and this had led to some troubling matter for both of them in the past. Still Serpico loved his sister dearly and stood by her as she had done by him in their recent adventures. Serpico also carried his own unique magical weapons and equipment; he was gifted with the hood and sword of sylph, the wind elemental. His cloak seemed to almost always be flowing in its own wind and had the power to deflect arrows or other projectiles; it also gave him added boost to his jumping and slowed his descent if jumping from a great height. The sword of sylph was in fact an eagle's feather in a wooden hilt that when swung would generate currents of wind strong enough to cut through nearly anything. He had since learned to add those to his own style of fighting with his nimble and precise swordsmanship with his rapier.

They were then joined by the few remaining members of their group Isidro along with the two pixie elves, Puck and Evarella. Isidro was the youngest of their group, a boy of about 13-14 years old, short but growing his own layer of physique due to his training with Guts, he had short fiery red spiky hair and the attitude that had often earned him the nickname Monkey. He was an aspiring swordsman who, despite neither of them admitting it, was Guts' apprentice. It was through his advice that Isidro had developed his own style of fighting combining a pirate's cutlass and his salamander's dagger, his gift from Flora, a special dagger forged from lava that cause wounds to burn like hellfire and ignited things it cut such as wood. He had a close and comical friendship with Puck and was developing a close friendship with Schierke something like that or brother and sister due to their close ages.

The last two members were Puck and Evarella. They were elves of the pixie family. Evarella was a supervisor and partner to Schierke in matters of magic and served as the sister act of being a coming relief along with Puck for the group. Puck was, as he claimed, Guts' manager and as the others saw it been with him as long as Casca had as such when they talked about the hidden truths concerning Guts and Casca it was then Puck would get very quiet or leave, leading to some curious eye's at him.

As part of the group both elves were just as essential elves of the pixie race could secret a special powder from their wings that greatly healed even serious wounds, which had saved Guts life on a number of occasion. In the past that was the main reason Guts allowed Puck to stay with him but in fact Puck also served as a sort of conscious for Guts in his days as the black swordsman.

"So how do you think the boss is doing against the sea god?" Isidro asked, no one could really say but it was a question on all their minds.

"I cannot say but if there is one thing we all know is that Guts is not a man to be taken lightly, and with Miss Schierke at his side I am confident the battle will go well and then we can continue on our journey" Serpico said with rare emotion in his normally neutral tone, it was respect for the man he trusted.

Just then the child strolled past them, he was small, maybe 2-3 years old, with long black hair and dark eyes like that of the woman who chased after him in their likely game of follow the leader. The boy had fair lighter coloured skin but whenever the others looked at him closely they saw a familiarity.

"Ya know there something that's been bugging me bout that kid" Isidro said crossing his arms as they all watched Casca catch the child then both sad down to share a bowl of soup brought to them by one of the sailor's.

Serpico nodded "Your right, he bears a strong resemblance to Miss Casca, they have the same eyes" he said.

"Not just that, but his hair, skin and face. They remind me of Guts" Farnese said joining their train of thought.

She looked at her friends "and you remember back in that hut in the beach when he tried to climb on Guts' back and nearly fell, when Guts and Casca caught him?" she asked them.

They both nodded and Puck joined in "It was like looking at a family" he said in a sombre tone.

"The chestnut is right, but how do you think that's possible I mean you seen how Casca acts around the big guy, and what about how that kid just appears and vanishes there's a lot of unanswered questions here, and what's with that look on your face Puck?" She asked noticing an unusually sad look on the cheerful elf's face

The others all looked at Puck curiously as he sat on Isidro's shoulder "Well, I know something about Casca and Guts"

Before Puck could go any further a voice rang out from the crow's nest

"Captain! Sails spotted sir, it's the same as before!" the watchman shouted.

Down at the helm Roderick, Captain of the sea horse, prince of the royal family of Iith pulled his spyglass out of his coat pocket to look at the ship that had emerged from the fog. He spotted the tattered sails, and the ominous looking ship that had been following them.

"All hands, battle stations, man the main guns and prepare for combat! Our Pirate friends have returned" he shouted calmly giving his orders to the best of Iith's navy.

No sooner had he spoken that cannons roared from the enemy ship as the battle began again.

On the deck the companions moved to reach Casca and the child to get below deck just as a cannon ball tore the trailing between them.

Inside the dark and dank cave Guts walked calmly into a large open cavern that was well light by some glowing plants and a crack in the ceiling of the cave. He felt the pain in his brand go up a notch.

"Time to say hello" he said his eyes narrow as he raised his sword hearing the demon move in the shadowy corner.

To be continued….

**A/N: Well here's to the start of my Berserk story, I hope you all enjoy this and I will be working on the next update soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Puck tells a tale.

**A/N: well here's to chapter 2, for this chapter I will finally get rid of those pirates, seriously as a pirates of the Caribbean fan those guys make me cry, From this point is also my own way of continuing the story, but I keep as close as I can to the characters, setting, themes, etc…oh and I do not do main character deaths (well not the good guys). Anyway enjoy the battle with the sea god, Puck's story and what is gonna happen with Guts and Casca alone for the first time in a while?. Read on.**

In the dark and dank cavern that was the heart of the tunnels under the island the sea god slithered along the slippery rock that were currently above water level due to the tide, it was obscured in the shadows despite the large crack in the ceiling that let in the bright moonlight. The Cavern itself was massive, expanded by no natural force, likely made so by the sea god, there was a rock floor ring almost completely smooth and level due to water and the resident's modifications, from the walls all around the ring extended about 30 feet. The center being a hole that was filled with water and dark, the hole was wide, maybe 40 feet in diameter, the ring was nearly a perfect circle but for a few cracks here and there. It was likely a route underwater for the sea god's tentacles to swarm out instead of the cave entrance which would be too easily seen. The walls also had changes made by the beast. There were shelves and small caves dug, possibly stairs built along from each shelf to cave as though it was in the effort of making it accessible to humans, whether willing or unwilling guests it was hard to say since there were piles of bones on some of the ledges indicating previous victims but the stairs carved into the sides of the walls were a true mystery.

Guts stood in the shadow of rock near the end of the tunnel entrance to this cavern. It was he who made all these guesses from a short gaze sweeping the room. He could see a rough shape in the far corner, due to the current angle of the moonlight streaming into the cavern it was hiding in the darkest side. He then heard a momentary pause in the slithering sound, then what sounded like a large shifting mass.

"Guts" Schierke whispered

"Ya, it knows" He said as he decided to get his first look at his enemy already knowing he wouldn't have been able to get an ambush. He cast aside his previous made plans saving his thinking for when the battle started.

"Casca!" Farnese shouted as the canon ball that took out part of the ship's railing was much closer to her then to the child, she also saw large splinters ready to rain down on the boy and Casca who had their faces towards them and the oncoming shrapnel.

Before, Serpico, or Isidro could do anything to help Casca made her move. With reflexes of one who had spent many years in the life by the sword she turned and scooped up the child hunching over making her a smaller target and also protecting their heads and faces. She also fully shielded the boy leaving only her back in the line of fire, she then further displayed her prowess and agility in drop lower and rolling to her left towards the edge near the gaping hole where the railing and a small, missing slice of the deck that Casca was getting close to. However she stopped herself just as she reached it and was back on her feet the boy in her arms holding him protectively.

The others were momentarily taken back at the amazing display but the sound of return canon fire from the sea horse shook them back to reality. Farnese was first to reach Casca touching her shoulder to more or less confirm that this was the same Casca.

"How did you do that?" she asked in spite of knowing she could not answer

"Auu" Casca replied in her child like gurgle, holding the boy in her arms tightly, the tone of that gurgle was different from the child like one, it was stronger, more confident. It was like she was hearing the Casca that Guts must have known before.

_This is the woman who impressed him _she thought as she realized the meaning of Casca's gurgle, they had to move.

"Lady Farnese we had best move towards the stern, there is less canon fire there" Serpico said.

"Right" Farnese nodded as she kept her thoughts focused as she had to keep in mind that if she forgot about the Formation of the four cardinals it would dissipate. She glanced at the gleaming walls and steadied her breathing as the sea battle raged on, so long as the ship did not move she had a reprieve to guide Casca before putting her main thinking into the shield.

As they moved to the stairs leading up to the stern and the wheel the enemy ship had closed the distance with eerie speed, along with it came a fog the reeked of death and decaying fish. The shadow of the masts and ragged sails covered them all as the inhuman sounds of the no longer human pirates as they called out guttural cries of looting and killing.

On the main Deck one shadow of a silhouette stood out with a clear shape that most of the crew and passengers recognized.

"Ah crap not him again" Isidro said aloud as he ducked as some debris went flying the small group, his words were heard by the captain of the ship just as they reached him standing calmly by the wheel.

Roderick of Iith nodded to the fiery headed boy's words "That Pirate certainly is persistent, but something is different, right about now he would be making his famous speech, as most pirates enjoy doing but all they have done I swoop in, and expertly for such a damaged boat. Now they just sit there silent and ready, that's clever for hitting morale, but this is very different from past behaviour"

Just then a voice rang out, not the salty slur of the Captain called Sharkrider. This one was feminine and strong, yet still inhuman. It started with the amused chuckled of a woman seeing a man show off.

"My such a shrewd observation from such a handsome man, I really must get to know you better" The voice said, it was coming from the mouth of the pirate captain, thanks to their shield the light hit his face, it was blank and void of any emotion or life, save for his mouth moving and his slow mechanical steps down to the main deck railing.

It was then Farnese gasped as her own level of magical awareness shivered, she was not so adept that she could see what Schierke must have seen but she senses terrible malevolence and hatred from whatever was speaking to them. It was an overwhelming sensation like she was being smothered with a blanket of malice emanating from whatever was, possessing this ship now. With a quick glance to the seemingly lifeless body of her master that was laying against the railing only a few feet from her she suddenly wished Schierke was here to guide her, or Guts to stand with them and give her some look or word that would quench her fear.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her arm, suddenly aware she had been shivering slightly. Looking over her shoulder there was Serpico.

"Don't let it scare you Lady Farnese, remember you built this shield, this light in the dark, and we are with you" He said quietly but his words were all she needed to hear.

With a nod of thanks she took a step forward to stand next to her Fiancée Roderick to offer her advice.

"Roderick, that thing is not the pirate captain from before, I think something possessed him, his crew and maybe the ship, and I think I know what it is" she said speaking into his ear in a whisper, her voice was quiet but her resolve was clear now.

The prince of Iith nodded then turned to speak to who they thought was staring down at them.

"To what to do we owe the honour of an assault not by the sea god herself?" he asked following Farnese's advice.

The female voice coming from the pirate's mouth laughed; there was a brittle quality to it, as though her current behaviour was only a front.

"Well now out of all the men I have had the pleasure of…meeting, only a few have made the correct guess so soon, you and this other handsome warrior in black armour will make fine additions to my collection" the sea god said.

The others all shared a collecting glance at that. They all knew the sea god meant Guts, meaning either he was injured, dead, or somehow the sea god was speaking to them and fighting him at the same time. While this thought was shared amongst most of them only one stood out among them, a girl who walked to the railing and was staring at the possessed pirate captain as though she knew him.

It was Isma, the only surviving inhabitant of the island. She was a young girl about the same height as Isidro but her appearance suggested she may be a year or two older already on the cusp of adulthood. She had long, wavy, brownish hair that often hung past her eyes. She had a collection of freckles on her face that suggested a heavy outdoor life further indicated by her slim, but very fit physique, she wore a simple dress and shoes like any fisherman's daughter but Schierke had mentioned to them all about how something was different about this girl.

As Isma stepped forward a deadly silence came over the ghost ship and a strange shadow seemed to arise behind the ship, as though it was the aura of the sea god watching over.

"You" said both Isma and the female voice. Isma is surprise and the female voice in malice.

Back in the cave the apostle sensed the approach of a mortal into its lair. A long time had passed since a mortal dared enter this cavern of their own free will, normally it was those already under the sway of her demonic allure or soon to be victims dragged kicking and screaming making a pleasurable chorus to her home.

This one she could tell was different. He had an aura about him that said he had meet with those blessed by the five angles before, and live.

"My, my this is certainly a full moon festival to remember, first I felt that wind of the blessed angels sweep across the world and now a ship comes bearing some remarkable men and women for my pleasure. However you stand apart from the rest, why is that I wonder?" the feminine voice said as it turned its attention to Guts who was standing in the light from the hole in the ceiling.

Not bothering with stealth anymore Guts stood, dragonslayer in hand the point low to the ground, his eye scanning the dark side of the cavern that the apostle stood in, although his face was nearly covered in his partially possessed state what little of his facial expression could be seen was a blank one, minus the sparkle in his eye, a mix of rage, battle lust, and a few others that were anyone's guess.

Meanwhile Schierke was wide eyed with wonder as her perception was not limited to light and dark. She could see the thing's aura, it was massive and shifting like it covered if some kind of massive cloak almost that surrounded the core of od she could not see as easily thought the shroud.

_There is something different here…the last time I saw these apostles I felt a clear od of the astral realm, but this thing's od is not the same, it's almost like it's both demon but something else elemental in nature.. wait it feels like that girl… could it mean?_

"Gut's listen to me" she whispered into Gut's ear telling him her theory about the sea god.

As she was doing so the slithering sound arose as the demon moved into the light revealing itself finally.

It was massive Gut's thought as he looked it over. Clearly it was larger in size then the apostle form of that demon Grunbeld he had fought, but it was covered with sea weed. In fact it looked like it was made of sea weed. Its entire body was green, slimy and constantly shifting. Its overall shape was not human but something like those large clay dolls that had guarded Flora's home.

Guts took a step forward "Well now, that's an interesting kind of armour" he said bluntly after listing to what Schierke had told him.

Just as he spoke the shifting of the seaweed stopped, then a low female laughter could be heard "naughty, naughty little witch. I thought I saw her little ghost clinging to your back and spoiling the surprise. Yes your right the sea is my domain and my armour. Those tentacles you fought are my hands and feet. So rude of you to cut so many, but now I am letting my little pirate ship toy do the work while I entertain myself with you. Ah by the blessed mother Slan what a glorious gift she has sent me" the female voice said.

Guts frowned hearing the voice, but seeing no mouth in the seaweed. In fact he noticed how the words seemed to come from within after the seaweed stopped moving. This was all information that could prove useful. He felt the sharp pain in his brand, even thought it had ceased to act normally since that strange wind but the pain of being this near an Apostle was still the same, even the mentions of one of those god hand members seemed to make the brand tingle, especially the one who took such an interest in him.

Finally the mass of seaweed started to move again and Guts could hardly believe how massive this demon was. It was nearly taking up a third of the cave, _that's gonna make moving around hard, but those small fry are this things tentacles, and I'll bet she can't have too many in here to use effectively they look like they are all reaching out into that tunnel in the middle along with those weird pirates to attack the sea horse…no matter Farnese has built a shield and Roderick can handle anything on the water._

"Well that's a new one calling one of those bastards like some kind of parent but not surprising how you freaks might think that" Guts replied to the Sea god's announcement.

The sea weed writhed to match the screech of fury that came from within "how dare you! You wretch how dare insult my beautiful mother and the other angels. I know of you anyway O black swordsman, enemy of us children, marked by King Femto as sacrifice to us".

The Sea God's next rant was suddenly cut short by a screech of pain as in suddenly something bite into her sea weed body, it was clear it was a body from the way it bleed almost like a living one.

Turning to follow the blur that gave her the bite she saw the black swordsman standing with his sword raised forward in both hands. Something about his was different his aura was darker and much more furious.

Schierke had all but screamed in fear at Gut's sudden flying leap to cut a deep wound into the side of the sea god's body followed by a scream of pain, anger, and surprise. She was so shocked at how close she came to losing her grip as a body of light on Gut's back and keeping him in control. At the mention of name, King Femto, his rage exploded in such a cold and focused direction.

Gut's eye widened as he noted something of interest as he glanced at the wound "Look I don't give a shit about your rants or damn bitching about your so called mommy. I got something much more important to me waiting on that boat and I mean to get back to her, so the last thing I wanna do is listen to you talking about _him_, and get me pissed off" Guts said with more venom in his voice that Schierke could say she had ever heard from him before.

The sea god meanwhile stopped streaking in pain and was now seething anger so much the water in her sea weed body seemed to bubble. Just then two tentacle monstrosities that they had encountered before burst from the pool in the centre of the cavern, teeth gnashing in hunger for his flesh followed by another rant.

"Enough of your defiance! I shall break you, your body will pleasure mine until this festival ends I then I will devour you to sustain me until the next festival, and I know who you refer to on that boat I see your woman now…she will make a fine mea- ahh!" the sea god's rant again ended in painful shriek.

Guts was like a dark shadow with one sharp blazing eye as he moved, the intimidating quality of his amour seemed to be enhanced by his rage as his sword flashed in a powerful arc slicing two the heads of he two tentacles in a heartbeat. Then he leaped onto the body of on them, technically being arm of the body that was the sea god. He ran up the arm with his enhanced speed and agility aiming to do more damage to that earlier cut he'd inflicted.

"_Guts you're not going to?" _Schierke asked over his shoulder.

Guts grunted then spoke "I think I got her figured out, that girl Isidro brought with him gave me a clue" he said as he reached the body then leaped high towards the cut he'd made earlier.

The inside of the sea weed body was like something of a 100 spider cobwebs of more sea weed. Strands weaved together to form substitutes for muscles, and ligaments to move the actual body. There was nothing to suggest any bone structure however.

Schierke looked around in awe, _I think I understand, this body is just a web of more sea weed inside but still flexible with no bones like a jelly fish so that it can move around easily in the water and even above…Gut's? What are you staring at? _She asked following Gut's line of sight to something not the sickly green color of the Sea weed and was also the source of the angry howling and hissing that was much louder now.

In what was likely the center of this mass of sea weed was a humanoid looking body. It was a woman.

"You insect!" She yelled "You dare defile my body?" She asked in both icy anger and possibly in fear

Guts took his signature stance letting his blade rest on his right shoulder staring her down only barely able to see her amidst the writhing ropes of sea weed "I thought I told you I don't have time to mess around, so no talking about _him, _and no threatening her" He said the last in a tone that made Schierke look at him slightly different.

They were all aware of Guts and his dark nature, but they all noticed something, it was like seeing a lone candle light in a dark room, what they all realized was that whenever Casca was in danger, or even the focus of attention that light seemed to be much stronger that his apparent black rage.

Guts kicked at a stray strand of sea weed eliciting another hiss of anger "Why don't you at least show your face mermaid" he said.

Both Schierke and the sea goddess gasped as it appears Guts made a discovery. It was then the strands of sea weed cleared and the true body was revealed. She was a woman with waist like vine like green hair, her face was youthful and mysterious, eyes a bluish grey like the sea and a stormy sky mixed together, and she had full sensual lips the color of blood that would draw the attention of any man. Her skin was almost alabaster in tone like from lack of direct sunlight. Her body was lithe like but with full breast bare and exposed, she was completely naked to the waist where that is where she was connected to the sea weed mass. The woman's face held a look of pure shock and surprise; she was like

aloud her thoughts _"it's true even though she is an apostle her origin is that of a being of the spirit world, and mermaids are native to the sea which has a connection to the moon already, so that would make sense that her power weakens and rise's with the cycle of the moon and to why she would live so long since she would likely sleep when not strong enough" she said._

The sea goddess meanwhile seemed to recover from her shock and in a way slid forward towards Guts, with enough common sense to fear Guts' sword and his skill, unlike so many apostles in his past.

"Hmm clever man… now there's a hard thing to come across. Indeed I know of that girl, who is the daughter of one of my former kind, she is like a cousin you might saw. I was once like her and those other foolish sea hags, protectors and watchers of the sea, but time passed and superstitious men of the sea thought us vixens and dangerous when we were meant to be allies, I grew angry but our leaders taught us to temper our fiery emotions, men are short live they said they forget we much not. Then one night my own sister was seen in the arms of a human, what passion they had" She said her stormy eyes growing dark.

"What a traitorous bitch! How dare she consort with such ignorant and savage beast, it was like she pierced my heart that I swore she would only ever be allowed into, I imagine it was the human who had corrupted her mind so I tried to kill him and she struck me down claiming I had allowed darkness into my heart….it was then I saw the blessed stone.. ah my beautiful Behelit sent to my by mother Slan, I took it and pushed it into my punctured heart and from it I was reborn, my sister now lives within me as she was my sacrifice and I took such pleasure in freeing her from that man as I devoured him slowly before she was cleansed and her spirit made one with me" the mermaid said reliving her horrific origins as an apostle.

Guts meanwhile seemed unmoved "you know I've heard that bullshit story from so many apostles like you I think it's finally starting to put me to sleep, you claim your sister's spirit got joined with yours? That's pretty delusional even by your kind's standards. Do you know where she really is?" he asked as his flashed her his bestial grin at the chance to take another apostle down a peg "she's in hell, that torrent of lost souls that anyone who gets mixed in with those 5 high and mighty bastards, in there she's nothing but a fish in the sea you could say no different than any other and you're the one who put her there" he said in his dead tone.

Suddenly the sea weed around him exploded "You son of a Bitch!" she yelled as the weeds encircled Guts

"Damn" he breathed as his sword cut deep into one but his body was becoming tangled and before long he was caught like a speck of food in the jaws of a beast hearing the sea goddess's laughter.

"I see the title of Struggler fits you well, save your energy you're going to need it for what I have planned for you my future lover, but first I'll go and take care of those friends of yours, and of course let you watch as I devour your woman" she taunted as her body dove into the submerged tunnel likely heading for the ship.

Guts could feel the movement but no water reached him and he didn't have the leverage to manoeuvre his sword, he tried to wiggle his right hand so he could fire a shot with his cannon but Schierke stopped him _"no you won't do much damage if this sea weed is her shell she could just drag more to her while in the water, we need to get her core out of the water somehow"._

"Almost there I see that useless pirate ship is having no luck, oh well enough of them I'll burst through its hell and shock them all with my glorious appearance" the mermaid apostle said.

Guts heard her speak and got an idea "Schierke can you return me to normal and get back to your body?" he asked.

Knowing to trust Guts on his instinct and battling apostles she nodded _"Yes I can force your ego back into control and just let go of you I'll be flung back to my body easily_" she answered.

"Good then I got a plan for the captain. Listen".


End file.
